Bedspace began in 1999, offering accommodation to asylum seekers in Blackpool. What started as a small initiative has since grown into the award-winning organisation it is today. Over the years, their dedicated team of 300+ has helped more than 17,000 individuals achieve sustainable, independent living.
Bedspace employs a large team of individuals who frequently work independently. This includes employees who visit service users in their homes or work alone in various buildings and locations.
In 2023, Bedspace approached Orbis to implement a comprehensive solution for protecting their lone workers, as they had proactively identified potential risks associated within their team as part of their commitment to safe working practices.
We agreed that the best solution for their team was to incorporate multiple safety devices and Apps tailored to the unique environment of individual roles. For residential staff, we provided our RedAlert Fob, which is designed to ensure quick and easy access to emergency assistance if needed while on-site. These fobs are discreet, lightweight, user-friendly, and offer peace of mind, allowing employees to focus on their duties knowing that they are simply a button press away from our Alarm Receiving Centre team (ARC).
For outreach employees, we provided our RedAlert mobile App that allows regular check-ins, location tracking, and can also alert our ARC team and management in the event of an emergency. The App is equipped with real-time monitoring and an easy-to-use interface, ensuring that employees working remotely or visiting service users in their homes can feel supported and connected, no matter where they are.
Maintenance staff were also supplied with our mobile App, due to the risk of lone working and potential injury on site. Our App features safety escalation procedures in cases of non-response and automatically alerts our ARC team in the event of slips, trips, or falls.
Together, these solutions provide Bedspace with a comprehensive approach to lone worker safety, ensuring both residential and outreach employees are protected during their working hours.
The principles guiding Bedspace in supporting lone workers reflects our commitment to supporting both employees and management in the establishment and maintenance of safe working practices.
To reinforce these principles, Bedspace has engaged Orbis to supply a lone working tool for employee utilisation during work hours. Having collaborated with Orbis for nearly two years, we are confident in their capacity to meet the needs of our organisation and the services we provide.
Orbis supplies fobs for residential staff and a mobile application for outreach employees. Additionally, Bedspace has access to the Orbis Sentry portal, which enables monitoring of user activity and tracking, should it be necessary in the event of an emergency. The portal also features facilities for employees to document their journeys and mileage.
This tool has been acquired exclusively as a safety measure, although it may also be utilised for tracking purposes when necessary and in cases where an alert for an emergency situation is triggered. If a red alert is activated, we can be assured that an Orbis call handler is present, listening in and recording the conversation while being prepared to initiate contact with emergency services as needed.
The Orbis team is responsive to any inquiries, facilitates the adding of new employees to the system, and provides customised reports when required. Bedspace highly recommends Orbis.
Chris Wareing
Director of Operations, Bedspace
